Projected behind the stage for Mayor Lovely Warren's inauguration Saturday was the city of Rochester logo and one word: "Believe."

In these initial days of her new administration, she has worn a sparkling brooch with that same, simple message. It harkens back to the hard-fought campaign that ushered her into office. Now, after an emotional and at-times trying start to her term, Warren faces the difficult transition from campaign-trail vision to governing's realities.

"Promises are all well and good, but only if they lead in one direction — toward progress," Warren said in her inaugural address, appropriately titled, "Promises."

Though no stranger to City Hall, the former City Council president currently is reviewing a compilation and analysis of transition reports from the prior administration that point to both struggles and opportunities ahead.

She begins with a weighty but brief to-do list, with the top priority being to prepare her first city budget.

“Promises are all well and good, but only if they lead in one direction — toward progress. ”

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren

Also on the 100-day agenda is hiring a permanent police chief and starting up a first-ever City Hall office focused on education reform. Warren hopes to hire an experienced grant writer to go after federal and philanthropic dollars that might help pay for that office and some of that vision.

"The first thing is dealing with, how do we close our budget gap?" Warren said in an interview last week.

The projected gap is officially listed at $37.5 million but is being updated and early decisions could reduce that number. While it appears the gap will be less formidable than in recent years, it becomes ever-more difficult to resolve as each year brings more difficult decisions on how to reduce spending or raise revenue.

What is expected to be a roughly $480 million spending plan — reflecting the priorities of her young administration — is due to City Council in May.

Settling into city business might be a relief.

This past week saw the last homicide of 2013 committed on her street. She was sworn in at the bedside of her ailing grandfather — a central figure in her life and her mayoral campaign — and mourned his passing a day later. She faced questions about her husband's juvenile arrest record and a top aide's drunken driving charge and later plea agreement.

She spent her first days getting briefed on projects including Costco and CityGate, which is caught up in a political standoff in the Monroe County Legislature, and attending the swearing in for City Council and a new city clerk, as well as the installation of Bishop Salvatore Matano. She also hired former-City Councilman and Service Employees International Union Local 200 United legislative director and counsel Brian Curran as No. 2 in the city's law department.

On education reform, she has yet to meet with Superintendent Bolgen Vargas about the education office, has reached out to newly-installed school board President Van White but, on Saturday, talked about her efforts to attract national charter schools to Rochester. Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, former Rochester mayor, said his advice to Warren would be: "Don't get into specifics yet. ... Look at what's being done." But he agreed the city's success depends on its schools.

The Richards administration memos identify projects and initiatives, next steps and issues. Those range from challenges in funding services in troubled neighborhoods receiving added investment and assistance, to struggles with new downtown housing west of the river, where North Plymouth Terrace and the Academy Building have seen few sales and rentals.

The city needs to "finish what we started" when it comes to the targeted investment initiative, Warren said. But community feedback from focus groups and other channels highlight the need to address other neighborhoods' concerns that they are being left out.

"How do we continue to do focused investment, but also bring a balance?" she said.

Warren comes to the mayor's post already well-versed on these matters, having served on City Council since 2008, and as council president since 2010.

"That is the beauty of her stepping in as mayor — she hits the ground running," said Don Jeffries, president and CEO of VisitRochester, though adding: "I think she will have a different focus, and that is to be determined."

The transition reports, which the Democrat and Chronicle obtained through an Open Records request, point to a need to develop a plan to ensure stability of buildings at Main and Clinton, the former Renaissance Square site. Cost of demolition is estimated at $4.5 million. And the Richards team alerted Warren that attention is needed for coordination of the school modernization projects.

Other reports highlight budget issues. Animal services, for example, is proposing to no longer respond to wildlife calls and identifies roughly $300,000 in potential new revenues by improving dog licensing in the city. The report estimates that just 12 percent of city dogs are currently licensed.

As he was leaving office, former-Mayor Thomas Richards released a State of Rochester report highlighting more than $665 million in projects under construction, under negotiation, approved, supported or pending.

"I know that all of our major projects are on track, and I expect to continue with those," Warren said.

Downtown, however, must be more than offices, apartments and condominiums. It must have nightlife and shops, she said. In a post-inaugural news conference, she reiterated her intention to bring a performing arts center downtown, preferably to the Midtown site, possibly coupled with a movie theater that could add a 50 cent or $1 surcharge to tickets to help defray operational subsidies. On smaller projects, she said, she would meet with Delmonize Smith, her appointee for commissioner of neighborhood and business development, to determine status and direction.

On the police chief, Warren said last week that she has a few résumés but has not put together an interview panel and is not feeling rushed as she is confident in interim Chief Michael Ciminelli's ability to lead the department. That will not stop the new administration from moving ahead on some of her promised public safety initiatives, she said. However, while Warren remains committed to establishing at least four police substations in each quadrant (meaning she would increase the current compliment by two), she said doing so in the first 100 days was unrealistic.

That is likely to require negotiation with the police union, and she does not expect to resolve the matter during the current contract negotiation but will request an agreement to re-open the contract when the time comes. In the meantime, she said, she will ask City Council to redirect $50,000 set aside under the Richards administration to study whether to add substations to instead study how and where to add them.

But like the fiscal-minded Richards before her, Warren is starting out with a focus on the basics.

"The main thing is to make sure our budget is balanced," she said. "This is not about shooting in the dark."

Mayor Lovely Warren, left, holds her daughter Taylor Granison, right, as she listens in the wings of the stage at the Auditorium Theatre during her public inaugural ceremony. (Photo: ANNETTE LEIN staff photographer)

Mayor Lovely Warren, left, leaves the stage at the Auditorium Theatre with her daughter Taylor Granison, center, and husband Timothy Granison, right, at the end of her public inaugural ceremony. (Photo: ANNETTE LEIN staff photographer)